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February 7, 2012 — The University of Wyoming will be a major player at the
first-ever Wyoming Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and Career
Teacher Education (CTE) Summit 2012. The summit will take place Thursday, Feb.
9, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Casper College's Roberts Commons.

Of the nearly 100 participants invited, UW's contingent
includes, among others, Myron Allen, UW's provost and vice president for
academic affairs; Don Roth, professor of molecular biology and School of Energy
Resources academic programs; Bryan Shader, professor of mathematics and special
assistant to the vice president for research and economic development; Sylvia
Parker, interim director of UW's Science and Mathematics Teaching Center; and
Rollin Abernethy, professor emeritus and UW's representative to the Wyoming
P-16 Education Council. Roth, Shader and Parker are members of the STEM Summit
Planning Committee.

"Wyoming can serve as the nation's laboratory for teaching
computational science at all levels of the educational system," says Allen, who
will be part of the panel discussion, "What Might a Wyoming STEM and CTE
Initiative Entail?" "In no other state is a single research university so
closely connected with the K-12 school districts, the public community colleges
and a world-class supercomputer center."

The purpose of the summit, convened by the Wyoming P-16
Education Council, is to:

Examine the potential STEM education and the
STEM work force could play in Wyoming's economic future.

Explore the roles of K-20 education in meeting
the potential for STEM and CTE.

Evaluate the variety of STEM and CTE educational
programs and supports now offered across the state and share learning
experiences with the education providers.

Begin to consider where and how STEM and CTE
student learning expectations overlap.

Enlist summit participants in furthering a
statewide STEM initiative.

Raj Pandya, director of science education at the National
Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), is one of the keynote speakers. He will
discuss the importance of STEM and CTE education in the national and Wyoming
work force and economy. Pandya will focus on opportunities in computational
sciences, energy and the environment.

A key component of such opportunities will be UW's
partnership with NCAR on the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center
(NWSC). The NWSC is being developed in partnership with UW, the state of
Wyoming, Cheyenne LEADS, the Wyoming Business Council, Cheyenne Light, Fuel and
Power; and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. NCAR is
sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

The NWSC will contain
some of the world's most powerful supercomputers dedicated to improving
scientific understanding of climate change, severe weather, air quality and
other vital atmospheric science and geoscience topics. The center also will
house a premier data storage and archival facility that holds irreplaceable
historical climate records and other information.

In addition to UW, the Wyoming P-16 Education Council
received assistance from Gov. Matt Mead's office, Casper College and the
Department of Workforce Services in organizing the summit.